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Tyngsboro reacts to post on Facebook by town worker

TYNGSBORO -- Town officials are revising a 17-year-old technology policy to incorporate social media after one town employee's Facebook post caused a stir within Town Hall.

The policy change comes after the employee posted something from her personal account that others might have thought was directed at them.

The employee, Sewer Administrator Caryn DeCarteret, posted a general meme about dealing with the one tough co-worker in the office, The Sun has learned.

Selectmen Chairman Rick Reault said it was inconclusive whether the post was directed at anybody, but argued it could be interpreted in many different ways.

"Some people, they get emotional -- that emotion probably plays into it," he said. "We have to conduct ourselves a certain way when you have a public position, and it's just something that we have to remind people to think about."

But the post was done from a personal account and not on any town equipment, according to Reault.

DeCarteret could not be reached for comment.

Selectmen met in executive session Monday night to discuss "complaints or charges" brought against an employee, but Reault said no one was fired or reprimanded as a result of the incident.

Instead, the town will work with the SEIU union to create an agreeable technology policy for both sides.

Christopher Dery, chairman of the mid-managers' unit, said the closed-door meeting went well, and both sides left happy.

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"We're going to get a current media policy into place," he said. "The union's going to work aggressively to make sure that there's one sooner rather than later, so we can be proactive rather than reactive in the future."

But he said the union is always going to want to protect constitutional rights like freedom of speech.

"There's a fine line and balance, but at the same time, we're all for a harmonious workplace and making sure everybody at work is treated with dignity by their co-workers," he said.

A draft of the revised technology policy includes a social-networking section, but does not address what employees may or may not say from their personal accounts.

If employees post an opinion on a town-related issue, however, it does require that they state that it's a personal opinion and not one shared by the town.

Town Administrator Curt Bellavance said he has provided the draft copy to the town unions and asked for feedback.

"We noticed the one we had was from 1998," he said. "It was pretty old, so we wanted to make sure it accurately reflected how the network and the computer systems function today."

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